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Meanwhile, Nottinghamshire police recorded a 9.6 per cent fall in burglaries.
The Bedfordshire constabulary, which covers Luton, recorded an 11.8 per cent
drop.

The Northumbria force, which polices Newcastle and Gateshead, had a 2.5 per
cent fall. South Yorkshire force, which covers Sheffield, had a 0.2 per cent
decline, while Greater Manchester saw a 3.9 per cent increase.

The figures also show that shoplifting in the year to June was up 10 per cent
on average.

Durham suffered the biggest rise, where shoplifting jumped
by a third. Wiltshire had a rise of 29 per cent, and Surrey 24 per cent.

Robberies were up 3.2 per cent in the police forces surveyed. Cambridgeshire
reported a 35.5 per cent rise, twice the increase in less affluent areas like
Leicestershire, North Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire.

The Home Office said it was pumping an extra £15 million into the system to help the police
stop burglaries - and offering £5 million in grants for shopkeepers to protect
their stock.

A spokesman said: 'We know that the changing economic climate brings new
challenges in tackling crime, just as it has in the past, and are focusing our
efforts to tackle these head-on.'

Despite the rise in financially-motivated offences, overall crime in the 24
police areas fell by 4.5 per cent during the period.